Product Information

Format: DRM Free ePubVendor: B&H AcademicPublication Date: 2011

ISBN: 9781433673689ISBN-13: 9781433673689

Publisher's Description

Nature's fury, horrible accidents, criminal acts, moral failures, personal attacks. Nothing tests a ministry leader's skills more than a crisis. When sudden events turn things upside down, and the normal methods of operation are no longer possible, the leader and the leadership moment are placed in the fire and thrust into the spotlight at once. With that in mind, Catastrophic Crisis authors Steve Echols and Allen England take a case study approach to understanding effective Christian leadership, looking back at eight trials or tragedies faced at religious institutions in recent years.

From the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's encounter with Hurricane Katrina to the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois, where pastor Fred Winters was shot and killed while preaching, this well-researched book tells the inside stories of each event, analyzes the leadership responses to draw out important lessons, and then poses direct questions that will help the reader actively process what is being learned. Catastrophic Crisis concludes with the "Leadership Lifeboats" and "Aftermath" chapters, focusing respectively on practical, biblical insights from various other leadership authors and the hope and blessing God ultimately provides following a personal catastrophic crisis.

Author Bio

Steve F. Echols is associate dean of the Alabama and Georgia extension center systems for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he also directs the North Georgia Hub and occupies the Nelson L. Price chair of Leadership.

Allen England is associate professor of Church and Educational Administration, occupying the J. M. Frost chair of Christian Education, at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

David S. Dockery is president of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He has also served as chairman of the board of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Dockery has authored or edited thirty books including Renewing Minds, Shaping a Christian Worldview, and Christian Leadership Essentials. In addition, he serves as a consulting editor for Christianity Today magazine.

This book was purchased for a class that Dr. Steve Echols taught. The case studies vary across many dimensions of "church crises" from hurricanes, to tornadoes, to arson, to shootings, to moral failures, to auto accidents, etc. The cases are factually presented with the goal of helping individuals identify and understand leadership opportunities and responses from within crises. A worthwhile read for any church leader, minister or layman.